Roland A-500Pro review: 29 facts and highlights

1. Has a MIDI-Out port

The MIDI-Out port is used for transmitting data.

Roland A-500Pro

74% have it

2. Has octave buttons

The octave buttons are used to shift the keyboard up or down in one octave increments. This extends the range of the keyboard in either direction, which lets you play notes that lie outside the number of keys available.

Roland A-500Pro

3. volume

19064.5cm³

CME Xkey: 838.08cm³

4. Has backlit LED buttons

Buttons will light up when pressed, resulting in better visibility to users.

Roland A-500Pro

73% have it

5. Has a bank selector button

The button is used to select independent banks of continuous controllers. Effectively, this allows you to control more independent parameters with the knobs, faders and buttons. The bank selector button is used to switch among the available banks.

Roland A-500Pro

38% have it

6. Is compatible with Windows

It is compatible with PCs and laptops running the Windows operating system.

Roland A-500Pro

99% have it

7. Has a display

The device has an electronic display to present information to the user.

Roland A-500Pro

68% have it

8. Has an input/connector for the sustain pedal

When pressed, the sustain pedal allows all notes to sound and “vibrate” freely. All notes played will continue to sound until the pedal is released. This is perfect when you need a sturdy and responsive control over sustain.

Roland A-500Pro

49% have it

9. Has transpose button

Transpose button move automatically your keyboard notes up or down tones (raise or lower the pitch by a number of semitones).

Roland A-500Pro

44% have it

10. Has velocity sensitive pads

Roland A-500Pro

36% have it

11. The device is mappable

Users can map, set and regulate the entire midi controller giving different functionalities to all different buttons, knobs and faders. The device could be also set up with different softwares.

Roland A-500Pro

79% have it

12. drum pads

The pads section is ideal to trigger loops and samples, using your finger drum skills.

8

Novation Launchkey 61: 16

13. total keys

The amount of keys the controller has on the keyboard.

49

Icon Logicon 8 air: 88

14. Has aftertouch keyboard

The keyboard also respond to the amount of force applied after initial impact. On electronic keyboards and synthesizers, this pressure sensitivity is usually called aftertouch.

15. number of buttons

16. Has velocity sensitive keys

Velocity sensitive keys are just spring loaded keys that sound out louder the harder you hit them. If you "lightly" press a key, the sound will be quiet; the harder you press, the louder it gets.

Roland A-500Pro

69% have it

17. Has an input/connector for the expression pedal

Dedicated expression pedals let you have a hands-free control over your keyboard's volume, vibrato, and more.

Roland A-500Pro

52% have it

18. Has a pitch/modulation stick

The pitch/modulation stick is used to change pitch or modulate a sound in real time with one single control.

Roland A-500Pro

20% have it

19. Has a transport control section

The transport controls are used to control playback, set the position of the playhead, start recording, activate the cycle region, or to move to the project start or end.

Roland A-500Pro

58% have it

20. Has a MIDI-In port

MIDI-In Port allows data to be received by a MIDI-compliant device. The “in” port enables the MIDI keyboard to be controlled by an external device or sequencer.

Roland A-500Pro

34% have it

21. weight

3.8kg

Akai Professional LPK 25: 453g

22. MIDI device works and communicates via USB

Devices can communicate in both directions with each other without any additional MIDI interface. The biggest advantage is that the USB connection can be used for everything; power supply, MIDI-in and MIDI-out. This means you need less cables.

Roland A-500Pro

23. number of knobs

More knobs (rotating controls) can give the user more dedicated control over the device, eg. volume, effects, EQs etc. Types of knobs may differ: endless type or step type.

9

E-Mu Xboard 49: 16

24. number of faders

Faders can be either channel volume faders, pitch sliders, crossfaders or even EQs.

9

Nektar Panorama P6: 10

25. encoders

A type of knob that has a push button functionality built in. Encoders are for browsing and selecting your digital sound files or turning on a function that makes use of a control's rotation such as sound effects or tempo/tap tempo selection.